Baltimore Is One of the Best U.S. Metros for Recent College Grads

In case you haven’t heard, it’s a tough job market out there — and it’s even tougher for young people. But that’s not always the case, as a recent data analysis from Richard Florida and the Atlantic Cities shows: Some metro areas have plenty of job openings for people with post-secondary education, and Baltimore turns out to be one of them.
To come up with his list, Florida looked at fast-growing, highly educated fields — that is, jobs that required a post-secondary degree and that were in a field that has grown by more than 2 percent this year. Perhaps not surprisingly, the winners turned out to be areas with ties to either the government (Washington DC), major research universities (Boston; Raleigh, NC), or both (Baltimore!). (And for all you Motor City fans out there, take heart — according to Florida, Detroit is actually the 8th best metro area for recent college grads.)

Florida notes that the good news extends up the east coast, with Richmond, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia all making the top 20. (New York is 23rd.) Places where college grads would have a tougher time finding work include fun places like Las Vegas, Orlando, New Orleans, and Memphis.
The one slightly less positive note is that these fast-growing, highly educated jobs pay a median salary of $32.15 an hour in Baltimore; that’s about 70 cents less average. But wait, recent grads — before you pack your bags and move to San Jose (where median hourly earnings average $47.27), check out the rent prices there… then get back to us. We have a feeling Baltimore is the right place for you after all.